Avocet - great to meet again - we monitored your Coastguard reports so know you got back OK!
Conditions like today are what ribs were meant for!
Trev

Indeed safely back and with no further problems with the engine cutting out, although the problems are to be investigated by Yellow Penguin in Poole this week.

Having only discussed over lunch the fact that the CG take no action in respect of called in passage plans where they receive no notification of safe arrival until such time as they are informed by a third party of a non-return, it was very gratifying to receive a call from Solent CG to enquire as to progress with my return journey. In fact, I was just rounding Hengistbury Head (being the point they had asked me to call in and confirm that all was well). This prompted me to enquire whether they had received a report sighting me from the CG station at Hengistbury. It seems not and their call at that exact moment was purely coincidental.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambo

What no vids, you wet the appetite with the thread I was so looking forward to seeing the action!

Being solo in the boat, it was hard enough helming and talking to Solent CG in the seas off Hengistbury let alone filming! In any event, I suspect that with the amount of water coming over the boat (even though it's normally very dry) it would have been ruined any non-waterproof camera very quickly!

Indeed safely back and with no further problems with the engine cutting out, although the problems are to be investigated by Yellow Penguin in Poole this week.

Having only discussed over lunch the fact that the CG take no action in respect of called in passage plans where they receive no notification of safe arrival until such time as they are informed by a third party of a non-return, it was very gratifying to receive a call from Solent CG to enquire as to progress with my return journey. In fact, I was just rounding Hengistbury Head (being the point they had asked me to call in and confirm that all was well). This prompted me to enquire whether they had received a report sighting me from the CG station at Hengistbury. It seems not and their call at that exact moment was purely coincidental.

Being solo in the boat, it was hard enough helming and talking to Solent CG in the seas off Hengistbury let alone filming! In any event, I suspect that with the amount of water coming over the boat (even though it's normally very dry) it would have been ruined any non-waterproof camera very quickly!

Sorry Avocet I did not mean to lessen what seemed to be a hard working return home just that you guys nearly always do some camera work and would have been very interested in the conditins and the boats handling. Once again sorry if I for one moment infered that you were there for my enjoyment!!
Regards
B

You truely are a hero or mad, maybe both! Had I have known you were going I would have come along to keep you company.
To my knowledge, the Hengistbury Head CG look out is peak summer only. I cannot remember the last time I saw it manned.

David
To my knowledge, the Hengistbury Head CG look out is peak summer only. I cannot remember the last time I saw it manned.

Glad you are back and safe
Steve

I agree; but when the call came through as I was struggling the breaking waves off the Head it seemed too much of a coincidence! The conversation was, consequentially, a little abrupt and it was only on getting back into the Poole Harbour speed limit that I called up again to confirm a safe return and enquired whether they had had sight of me. I was impressed that I could hold a conversation with Solent CG (at Lee on Solent) from Poole Harbour entrance (when it would normally be Portland CG).

So far as the sea state was concerned, it probably wasn't heroic (as was my rounding of Portland a couple of years ago with family and huge waves!) as I've actually had more uncomfortable similar crossings in much better weather but not with such large waves. Whilst most were on the nose on the return trip, there were regular ones on the beam which really skewed the fall off the top. Ouch - and I'm aching today!

It's a credit to the boat but, as Trevor says, it's what RIBs are made for!

I leave it to you whether the trip was mad (both outward and return journeys called in to the CG and only me at risk) but it was possibly a little reckless to continue the outward leg with an intermittant engine failure. That's being investigated but it looks like a reoccurance of the previous problem of corrosion in the wiring loom which has already once been replaced under warranty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambo

Sorry Avocet..... Once again sorry if I for one moment infered that you were there for my enjoyment!!
Regards
B

Mea culpa: not yours! I didn't mean to sound piqued ..... I meant to excuse the lack of video rather than berate the potential audience. If Pete, Steve, Scurvey Crew (or anyone else, frankly!) wants to come along as photographer, please let me know!

I'm always happy to post future jaunts and Spring is (surely) on its way